Former Apple consultant says Apple's naming plan is weak

0.phoneArena
06 Apr 2013, 22:10posted on

Brand consultant Ken Segall says that Apple's habit of putting an "S" onto the current version of the Apple iPhone sends a "weak signal" and this had led to conventional thinking that Apple only updates it smartphone line every other year; the signal Apple is sending is that this is our off-year and we have only an incremental update to bring you...

22.JeffdaBeat (unregistered)

Sorry, can't really agree with this one. Before the iPhone, most smartphones manufacturers didn't have a habit of giving their phones a sequel. Pre-iPhone, most just gave the phones completely different names or simply went by model numbers. For example HTC Apache was followed by the HTC Mogul. Same line of phone, but by no means was it the HTC Apache II.

Apple's naming isn't confusing simply because people are used to it. Apple releases an iPhone with a number and follows it up with an S model. Like...this is even known outside the smartphone nerd world. People get it. In addition, Apple gives a new number model to major revisions of their iDevices like they would software. If an S model isn't a major revision, then it doesn't get a new number.

I do agree that Apple should stop assigning numbers to their products and I was honestly hoping the iPad was a sign of them letting it go. They don't call it the MacBook Pro 2 or 3...they just call it the MacBook Pro. Same goes for the iPod Touch. Why not just do the same with the iPhone and iPad?

I believe that they can't remove the number from the iPhone/iPad generations because when a new iPhone/iPad is released, the past generation will still sell at a cheaper price. Old gen MacBooks are discontinued when new MacBooks are announced.

53.JeffdaBeat (unregistered)

God, you guys are terrible at reading comprehension. In fact, I wrote my post the way I did because I figured someone would say, "Oh, so Apple invented sequenced phones now?!" Here is my exact quote from above:

"Before the iPhone, most smartphones manufacturers didn't have a habit of giving their phones a sequel."

Most smartphones. Not all smartphones. And this was indeed true back then.

Actually you're the one who doesn't know how to convey your thoughts in writing. Your comment is easily misleading. Anyone who reads your comment will see it implies Apple "practically", started the sequenced phone trend. All the big names in the mobile industry(Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG ) already had sequenced phones before Apple, so when you said most phone manufactures weren't doing it before Apple, what Manufacturers were you referring to?

79.JeffdaBeat (unregistered)

Again...I said most. Most is not absolute, otherwise I would have said, "Before the iPhone, smartphone manufacturers didn't have a habit of giving their phones a sequel." The difference that one word can make. And the difference your post can make if you actually read though the entire post instead of coming to some conclusion beforehand.

And which ones? Most of them. Before the iPhone, most (there's that word again) phones didn't have a brand to follow except the Razr. People weren't able to name a phone outside the manufacturer. Apple made their phone a brand and didn't call it anything other than iPhone and whatever sequence it was in the line. Other smartphone makers did the same thing. Instead of tricking people into thinking they were getting a completely different phone (by giving it a new name...sometimes different names per carrier), they started giving their more popular phones a sequence.

HTC came out with the Touch Pro and the Touch Pro II. Blackberry didn't have a habit of releasing new models until we got to maybe the Storm II. Before that, they went by model numbers or just came out with a new naming all together. The BB Bold would have been a great successor to the Curve or even 8830. Of course eventually they did come out with the Curve II.

Giving your phone a successor makes people invest in the brand. No, Apple did not pioneer it and I never said they did. But they did show the importance of investing in it. Is their naming confusing, I'd argue no...because everyone is used to the iPhone (insert name here) and the next year will the be the S model. People get it. Is their naming f**king annoying...yes. I still disagree about it being confusing.

Yeah, I kinda understand what you're saying. What I find annoying is that Apple doesn't actually have a solid pattern for naming their phones. Yeah, the S is pretty much for a sequel with no design change, but the number itself means whatever they want it to. The iPhone 3G was named because it had 3g connectivity and the number had nothing to do with it being the 2nd iPhone, but conveniently they named the fourth iteration iPhone 4, because it was the fourth, and since the number 3 was in the last name, this somehow facilitated the sequential numbering. But this confused people once 4G came out, because, since the last iPhone was named 3G, the 4 must also mean it has 4G. Then when the iPhone 5 was ready, they couldn't name it the iPhone 6 since that means they would have skipped a number, even though they named the iPhone 4 for its numbering in the series. I really don't know. So now iPhone 5 is called that for no reason at all. I mean, it's not even like a 5th generation of design or anything. So yeah, the naming is really confusing since it really has no semantic component behind it. It's hard for me to even try to write about it.

iAgree, iThink that too much emphasis is placed on iEverything; it has gotten to the point that anything and everything associated with the incrementally upgraded device is prefaced with an "i", where is there any iMagination in that? Also, sequentially, they seem to have a problem counting forward which speaks to their iQ but, alas, iDigress, this has nothing to do with intelligence, or the lack thereof, this is about stupid iBranding. Just plain ole' stupid iBranding!!!!

I'm not sure about iPod touch, but i think Nanos, minis, shuffles don't have it.
Okay, never mind that but my point is if 'i' stands for internet, then it is wrong for Apple to prefix the 'i' in their music players. Or are you right? :P

Other than flash, it's about the best web experience I've had on a mobile device. Excellent cut copy and paste, fluid pinch to zoom, built in dictionary for instant word defining, fast accelerometer, it can also reflow text with one hand due to the reader feature, it will read an article to you if you're in a position such as driving where you can't look down, and you have all the share options from the web, book marks and save to home page. What about the safari browser is tired?

They weren't the first to use "i-" though. When Cisco made their iphone it meant internet, because it was a VoIP phone. When the imac came out I believe they wanted the "i-" branding to refer to the buyer, since they had color options and it was made to feel personal and customized (which they weren't, really) but it put apple back on the map for computers after Microsoft's utter dominance with Windows 95 and 98.

I think the naming was pure genius on Apple's part. When the iPhone 4 and 4S came out their competition were selling 4G devices and having the 4 in the name made many think they were using a 4G device. Probably why they didn't want their LTE iPad with a 3 in the name.

That's right, this is one of Apple's weak point, naming. See? Apple needs to be creative like other manufaturers, not always putting an "S" on each of the iPhone like 3GS, 4S, 5S, and iPad too, they're like teaching kids on kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.............

Don't hate, every one else does the same thing. Galaxy S1, S2, S3, S4 ... Lumia 800, 900, 820, 920. This is just silly, if the branding is doing so well for Apple, why would they quit? But yeah, the branding is getting stale.

They can keep the "i" word, but "S" and the numbers make it feel quite old and boring, plus, their design aren't changed at all, with a combination between these two things, it makes Apple products (iPhone, iPad) even more boring. Not like Sony, Nokia, Samsung, LG, HTC etc.

Samsung can make their phones popular, of course they can keep using Galaxy S1, S2, S3, S4............... Same as Nokia.

People must still like the iPhone design, it's still the highest selling smartphone. Apple have been able to sit themselves in a good position, a solid branding, popularity and position in the market. For a phone "purist" or "tech savvy" person the iPhone is pffffft, could be better. But remember there a lot more people then us, and those people love the iPhone. Coming from a mainstream point of view.

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